Royalty Secrets and a Ninja's Love
by xX-Star Sapphire-Xx
Summary: Naruto is on his first mission back from his 2 year training. Kakashi takes him and Sakura to this small country and the two find out they have to protect the princess. Much happens on this adventure. Sacrifice. Lies. Bloodshed. Tears. Love. NarutoXoc
1. Prologue: Trailer

**After two and a half years of training, he is back for another big adventure...  
**_"Kakashi-sensei!" the blonde knuckle-headed ninja whined to his jounin sensei. "Where are we going?"  
"I told you before, Naruto. It's a secret," Kakashi told him without looking up from his book._

**If only his sensei would tell him what it was.  
**_"First you say our mission is a secret, then you won't tell us the rank, and now you're saying where we're going is a secret, too. When will you tell us these 'secrets'?" Naruto said, using finger quotes.  
"When we get to our destination."  
"When will that be?"  
"It's a secret."_

**Luckily for the number one knuckle-headed ninja of the Leaf Village, this next mission would be the biggest one yet.  
**_"You're mission is to protect my daughter."_

**Too bad he doesn't seem to see it that way.  
**_"That's it? That's all we have to do? This is too easy," Naruto commented and Sakura hit him as a result of that. "Hey!"_

**Little did he know that this mission would hold many as sacrifice...  
**_"You don't have to do this. You can get away from this," Naruto tried to reason with her, but she only shook her head.  
"I can't. My people-"  
"Who care's about your people? They can't tell you what to do. You have a mind of your own. So do what you want to do and get out of this."_

**Lies...  
**_"Why didn't you tell me? Why?" Naruto asked her pleadingly.  
"Because... I didn't want you to know."_

**Bloodshed...  
**_"Naruto! No!" she cried out, watching him get thrown into a wall._

**Tears...  
**_"I'm so sorry, Naruto. This wasn't what was suppose to happen," she dried and let her tears hit his cheeks._

**And most importantly... Love...  
**_"Oh no, Naruto. This isn't good," Sakuro said while shaking her head.  
"What?" he asked, confused. "What's wrong?"  
"You're falling for her."_

**Staring the knuckle-headed ninja himself, Naruto Uzumaki.  
**_"Believe it!"_

**_Royalty Secrets and a Ninja's Love_**


	2. Chapter 1: 15 Years of Peace Festival

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters under that name. They all belong to the creator of Naruto who I cannot think of right off the top of my head. I only own the plot and my original characters. Nothing else. Now enoy the story. :)**

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"Kakashi-sensei!" the blonde knuckle-headed ninja whined to his jounin sensei. "Where are we going?"

"I told you before, Naruto. It's a secret," Kakashi told him without looking up from his book.

"First you say our mission is a secret, then you won't tell us the rank, and now you're saying where we're going is a secret, too? When will you tell us these 'secrets?'" Naruto asked, using finger quotes.

"When we get to our destination."

"When will that be?"

"It's a secret."

"Ah!"

"But, Kakashi-sensei, how are we suppose to know what to expect if all of it is a secret?" Sakura asked calmly. She was just as frustrated as Naruto was, but she was fifteen now. She was much more mature than she was when she became a ninja.

"Don't worry too much, Sakura. We are going to be arriving early."

"Early?!" both fifteen-year-olds screamed. It was said that there was a first for everything, but not with Kakashi.

"Since when do you arrive early anywhere?" Naruto questioned loudly.

"Since there will be a festival there and I thought it would be fun for the three of us to go," Kakashi answered lazily. "But if you two don't want to go…"

"No!" the teenagers both yelled together. "We want to go!"

"Hm… I thought so."

A few hours later, the team was still walking to where they need to be. The sun was beginning to set and that seemed strange to a certain pink-haired konoichi.

"Naruto, look at the sky," Sakura told her friend as she continued to look up at the pink and orange sky.

The blonde looked at her quizzically before looking at the sky above. "The sun is setting. What about it?"

"Exactly. It's only the afternoon. The sun shouldn't be setting right now."

"It's not setting, you two. This is what the day is like where we're going," Kakashi explained to them both.

"But why is that?:"

"It's unknown. No one knows why. That is what makes this village unique and special."

Sakura and Naruto looked around the area and saw nothing much different about the area than from the areas around their village. The only thing that was different was the sky.

"So, where are we?" Naruto asked, hoping to finally get his answer.

"Land of Skies."

"Land of Skies? I've never heard of it."

"Because it's not a big country. You'll bee surprised when you see the village. You'd think otherwise."

"Why? Is it big like the Leaf Village?" Sakura asked with interest.

"Why don't you see for yourself, Sakura," Kakashi told her as he stopped walking. Naruto and Sakura looked at him quizzically before the noticed the beautiful village in front of them. It had to be twice the size of the Leaf Village. Then they could see a large white medieval-like building over-towering the other buildings in the village. "Welcome to the Village Hidden in the Stars."

.: - :.

The three ninjas walked through the village. It was huge for any kind of country. For a country so small, it was a surprise that the Stars Village was so big. As they walked through the village, people crowded the sidewalks and the streets were completely empty. It was obvious the festival was starting soon. There were different signs everywhere for the celebration.

"Kakashi-sensei? What is the festival for?" Naruto asked, looking around.

"It's the anniversary of 15 years of peace," a different voice answered him. A young girl no older than Naruto and Sakura walked up to the three Leaf Ninja. She had long brown hair that ended at her mid-back and bright green eyes that seemed to be both intimidating and peaceful at the same time. She also wasn't much shorter than Sakura was. "My name is Hana Kawashima. You must be the Leaf Village Ninja the king asked for. I'm here to escort you to the palace."

"King?" Naruto questioned as he looked towards the silver-haired jounin.

Sakura did the same thing but instead she asked, "Palace?"

Kakashi ignored their stares and said to Hana, "You don't mind if we watch the parade first, do you?"

"No, I don't mind at all." She smiled. "I was planning on taking you to the palace after that anyway. The king and his family are in the parade so there's no point in really waiting for them there when we can enjoy ourselves."

Suddenly, music started to play through everyone's ears and the people began to cheer. Down the street, Naruto and the others began to see the floats strolling down.

The first float was decorated in all green. It wasn't that decorative, but there was a sign that said "15 YEARS OF PEACE" written on it. Then, there was a man sitting down on a tall thrown, waving to everyone on the sidewalks.

"That's King Mushiko, the one who stopped the on-going war 15 years ago," Hana explained loudly, hoping the ninjas could hear her over the loud music and cheering.

"What war?" Sakura asked.

"When you meet the king, I'm sure he'll tell you."

Naruto watched as the king's float strolled by and couldn't help but notice why his float seemed to be so boring. There's wasn't much life to it. Anyone would assume the king's float would be the most extravagant.

The next float then came by and it was much like the king's except purple. A woman sat upon a thrown on this one, and Naruto could guess that she was the queen.

"That's his wife, Queen Natsuki," Hana said, making Naruto's assumptions a fact. "She is the kindest woman you would every meet and the most active to the town. She always volunteers whenever she can."

After the queen were some dancers and other performers throwing candy into the air exciting all the children there. Confetti dropped from above as different colored balloons where thrown into the sky. It was a celebration Naruto and Sakura had never seen.

"I've never seen anyone so excited about a festival," Sakura said amazed at the sight. Even with the performers throwing out candy, the adults seemed to be having more fun than the kids themselves.

"Well, you've never seen the pain everyone went through over fifteen years ago," Hana stated with a smile.

Naruto looked passed the dancers and saw another float coming up. He couldn't tell who was on it, but he could definitely see that the float was much more extravagant than the king's or queen's. It made him wonder who could be more important that the leaders of the country.

On this float, it looked like it came from a garden in a fairytale. The grass was bright green, the small, yet beautiful, water fountain placed right in the front with crystal blue water flowing from it, and there was a canopy of flowers hung near the back along with an assortment of flowers along the floor of the float. Underneath the canopy were two women in clothes that matched the float's décor and they held large fans up next to each other that looked like they were holding large flower petals. As the float came closer and closer, the people began to cheer louder and louder than before.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, looking around at everyone cheering around him.

Hana just smiled and said, "It's everyone's favorite part of the parade."

"Why's that?"

"You'll see."

Just as Hana said that, the two women on the float moved the fans away and the crowd started to cheer even more if that was possible. Naruto's and Sakura's eyes were wide and their jaws were dropped. They never expected to see what they saw. Behind the fans was a young girl with layered blonde haired that just touched her shoulders and wore a large Victorian style dress. She was sitting on the floor of the float so her dress flowed out all around her. Then, she wore a scarf (kind of like a gypsy) that covered her nose and mouth that matched her dress. No one could see the color of her eyes because they were closed, and she was acting as if she didn't notice the cheering people around her.

"That is the beautiful princess of our land," Hana finally said after the others caught a good look at the girl. "Princess Sayuri."

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**Chapter 1 folks! Sorry that it kind of sucked though... I wrote it like a year ago so it's kind of bad. I swear the next one will be good. :D Please review and I'll start writing up Chapter 2!**


	3. Chapter 2: The Festival Crashers

**Thanks Jake-is-my-guy, Elemental Dragon Swordman, Jimbobob5536, and zerohour20xx for reviewing the last two chapters of my story! I didn't expect so many people to read it and like it. Especially the trailer/prologue I put in. I can't take full credit for that since I've seen some people use that on here. I just changed it up a bit to make it more entertaining. :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything but my own original characters and storyline. I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto.**

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"Princess Sayuri?" Naruto repeated in a questioning tone.

"Yep. She's adored by all." Hana smiled.

Sakura looked at the teenaged girl on the float sympathetically. She had a feeling the princess did not want to be there at all.

"She looks so bored. I feel bad for her," she said. "I can't believe the people here don't see it."

"They are actually use to her acting this way," Hana began to explain. "You see, once a princess turns 8-years-old, she must not show her true self to the people of the village, or any one else for that matter. Of course, she's allowed to act herself in front of her family."

"Why?"

"Because, Naruto, it's the culture of the Royal family here in this village. Just like she has to wear that scar over her face. Only when she's married will she be able to take it off."

Immediately, Naruto and Sakura thought of Kakashi how he kept his face covered 24/7. Either way, Naruto only had one comment to say to the village's culture.

"I think that's dumb."

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled and punched him even though she had the same thought.

"Ow, Sakura!" blonde-haired boy cried out and rubbed the newly formed bump on his head. "Did you have to hit me so hard?"

Kakashi sighed at the two and Hana noticed this.

"Do they do this often?" she asked curiously while pointing in Naruto's and Sakura's direction.

"More than you know," was his response.

The float the princess was on slowly drove passed the four. Naruto tried to get closer and got a better look at her. He then realized Sakura was right; Princess Sayuri looked like she didn't want to be there. He couldn't figure out why she would act that way. And if she wasn't acting, why her parents would make her go through this sort of thing.

Suddenly, four mysterious ninja's jumped into the streets, surrounding the princesses float and knocking all of the dancers and performers out of their way. They all wore dark clothing and masks so no one could identify who they were. The people on the sidewalks cried and screamed, and they began to run around not sure what to do.

Naruto saw the ninja's closing in on the princess and didn't waste another second to do his shadow clone jutsu and attack them. As the shadow clones attacked, Naruto jumped onto the float, picked up Sayuri, and ran down the street. Kakashi, Sakura, and Hana were following close behind.

"Hana, is there any place where we can take the princess and keep her safe?" Kakashi asked in his serious tone he gets when he was fighting.

"Yes, there is. It's on the other side of the village," she answered quickly, looking around in ever direction to make sure no one was planning to ambush.

"Good. You take Naruto and the princess there while Sakura and I deal with them," he said, referring to the ninjas chasing them.

"Right. This way, Naruto." Hana turned to her left and Naruto followed her.

The ninjas that were chasing them didn't bother to change directions and began to fight Sakura and Kakashi. Naruto and Hana didn't pay any attention to that and continued to their destination.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked Hana.

"To the palace."

"What? Are you crazy? That's the first place they'll-" Two ninjas jumped down from the roof tops and landed on either side of him. "-look…" he finished his sentence and began to look around trying to figure out a plan.

He did a hand sign as best as he could while holding Princess Sayuri safely in his arms and 12 shadow clones appeared. Six of them Hana and six of them being himself holding the princess. Then they all split up in different directions (including the real Hana, Naruto, and Princess Sayuri), confusing the two unknown ninjas.

"Now there must be another place to hide her that isn't obvious," Naruto said with an irritated tone when he saw no one was chasing them. He was annoyed at the fact that she would lead him straight to the palace and not somewhere else. That was probably the worst idea in the world.

:Um.." Hana thought for a moment before an idea clicked her her stupid little head. "There's an underground passage to get to the palace. The king sometimes uses it when he needs to travel somewhere out of the village unnoticed."

"Great! We'll do that!"

"Then follow me!"

**.:-:.**

"Finally," Naruto said tiredly as he gasped for air and Hana closed the door to the tunnel.

While still holding the princess, he leaned up against the wall and slid down to the ground. He looked at the princess in his arms and saw that she was hiding her face with her hands. He didn't even realize how scared she was going to be with all that went on.

"You're safe now, Princess Sayuri," he told her happily and gave her a large grin.

"She slowly removed her hands from her face and looked around, but she didn't say a word. She looked up at Naruto and he could hear her gasp at the sight of him. He looked at her confused but also couldn't help but stare at her unique color of purple that was revealed when he finally saw her eyes. Then, she got up quickly and backed away from him.

Hana bowed politely before approaching the princess and said, "He won't harm you. Naruto is just silly. At least of what I saw he is. He was the one who saved you from those ninja who were about to kidnap you."

Princess Sayuri looked at the blonde-headed boy who gave her another toothy grin and nodded her head as an approval.

"We better get to the palace. The kind and queen must be worried about the princess," Hana told Naruto, acting like Sayuri wasn't even there.

He gave the princess a sympathetic smile before standing up.

"Yeah, lets go."

The three walked through the dark, damp tunnels with Naruto and Hana on either side of Princess Sayuri. Sometimes, Naruto would glance over at the princess to see if she was all right but every time he did, her eyes would be closed and her hands would be cupped together in front of her showing no emotion at all. It made him wonder how she got through half of her life showing so sense of feeling to anyone but blood. It also made him wonder how she could walk in a straight line without opening her eyes.

Hana suddenly stopped and they were in front of a large metal door.

"We're here," she said, and she opened the door. It revealed stairs with décor that matched the tunnels they were in.

Hana was the first to go up, then Princess Sayuri, followed by Naruto. Once they reached the top, they walked through another door and ended up in the throne room. They were also not the only ones there. The kind and Queen were sitting on their thrones while Sakura and Kakashi were standing in front of them talking.

"Sakura! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed and gave them a big wave.

Everyone looked over to them and the queen immediately jumped from her seat.

"My dear daughter!" She rushed over and pulled the princess into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're safe. Your father and I wouldn't know what to do if something were to happen to you!"

The king casually walked over and said to Naruto, "Thank you so much for protecting our daughter. I can't thank you enough for what you did."

"It's no big deal. Just doing my job as a shinobi," Naruto said with a grin.

"So Kakashi told you?"

"Told us what?" Sakura asked, joining the conversation.

"Your mission. What else?"

Kakashi then decided to join and said, "No, I haven't yet. I was planning on telling them when we arrived here."

"Since you're here then it would be a good idea to tell you now," the kind said, looking over at the two fifteen-year-old leaf ninja.

The queen walked away then with the princess close to her side, and Hana following behind them. Naruto guessed that the mission was so confidential that not even the queen or princess were allowed to hear it. He did his best not to bounce where he was standing from the excitement. He had been waiting to show Sakura and his sensei what he had learned in the last couple of years of training. Plus, he was ready for a challenge.

"You're mission is to protect my daughter." Naruto's excitement level just went from ten to negative 35.

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**Thanks for reading! Keep reviewing! I really like hearing from everyone and what they think. :D**


	4. Chapter 3: The Important Mission

**Here's Chapter 3! Sorry it took a while to get out. I didn't have this previously written so I just wrote this at random times when I was bored. :D Anyway, I didn't realize that there was a Cloud country in Naruto, but the village I have in the story is not in that country. It's a made up country. Just thought I'd put that note up so I don't confuse anyone.  
**

**Thanks to the ones that reviewed!**

**Elemental Dragon Swordman:** I know I PMed you about that before, but the explanation is told in this chapter. :D  
**BlueBakaNinja:** Thanks! I made this chapter a lot longer than the previous chapter. I'll try my best to make the chapters longer in the future. :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. I only own my own original characters and the plot of this story.**

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"That's it? That's all we have to do? This is too easy," Naruto commented and Sakura hit him as a result of that. "Hey!"

"Naruto! You can't say that!" Sakura scolded him, waving her fist in the air. It might have been two and a half years since they've seen each other, but Sakura's temper was still horrible and it only caused more pain. "That's not our part to say anything."

Naruto didn't say anything else. He knew he shouldn't have said what he said, but at that moment, he couldn't care less. He was ready for something more challenging, more thrilling. Not something as small as a body guard mission. It bothered him that Kakashi didn't accept a higher ranking job. Maybe one that has to deal with finding Sasuke or the Akatsuki. He didn't care just as long as he was able to accomplish either one of those tasks.

"Now, Naruto, listen to what King Mushiko has to say first. He didn't even tell you the whole mission yet," the silver-haired ninja told the boy.

The blonde looked at his sensei curiously before looking back at the king who didn't show a very appreciative expression on his face. Naruto gulped heavily and gave the king a nervous smile and chuckle. That was exactly what he wanted; to be on the king's bad side within five minutes of meeting him. That sure was going to look good considering he and his friends were going to be his daughter's bodyguards.

"As I was saying," the king began, continuing to give Naruto the same look for one more moment before looking at Kakashi, "You're mission is to protect my daughter. About sixteen, almost seventeen, years ago, a war broke out in our land between the kingdom and a rebellion group called the Hizokus. They didn't like how my father was running the country so they burned down parts of the kingdom and the walls of the palace. It even came to the point of burning down whole villages.

"My father, may he rest in peace, died not too long before then, making me the king of this country. I was young and not fully educated, so I wasn't sure of what I was suppose to do. Even so, I did my best to protect my country and my home, but my best wasn't enough. About a year after everything started, I found out I was to be a father. It was then I realized I had to finish this war once and for all. I planned one major attack that would end the war, but if it didn't work, the country would be no more. My plan had worked and I was able to protect my family and my people."

"That's great, King Mushiko, but what does this have to do with us protecting your daughter?" Sakura asked, taking in the whole history of their country. "I don't see a connection between the two."

"You see, I thought we destroyed Hizoku, but I was wrong. I received a letter from the new leader of the rebellion, and they said that they have were back and ready for more. I thought it was just a prank, so I ignored it. But more kept coming, threatening to kill my daughter. I didn't want to take the chance so that's why I had Hana as a body guard," the king explained. "Then one night, someone snuck into the castle and almost kidnapped my daughter in her sleep. I realized that those letters were not fake and I knew I had to get help. I don't have enough ninja to fight against the Hizoku and protect my daughter at the same time. That's why I called you from the Leaf Village. I need someone to escort and protect my daughter."

"Escort her? I just thought this was a body guard job?" Naruto said while looking at his sensei then back at the king.

"My daughter's not safe in this village anymore. Especially not after today. I asked Lady Hokage if that was all right if my daughter stays in your village for a short while until I can find a more permanent place to stay, and she said that it was fine."

"What?" Naruto and Sakura were not informed with this.

Kakashi ignored the two 15-year-olds and looked to King Mushiko. "I already spoke with Lady Tsunade about the situation. Everything is ready for when the princess arrives. Your daughter will be perfectly safe."

"Wait a second!"

"Yeah!" Sakura agreed with Naruto. Neither of the two could understand why they were taking the princess to their village. "How are we suppose to take her there without bringing attention to her at the village? Everyone's going to look at her and know who she is. Besides, wouldn't that bring the rebellion over to the Leaf Village?"

"Don't worry about it, Sakura," Kakashi told her while placing a hand on her shoulder. "The hokage and I have a plan in mine so everything is under control."

Naruto and Sakura didn't say anything after that. They still were unsure why they were escorting Princess Sayuri to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Yes, it was to protect the princess, but why the Leaf Village? No matter how much sense it didn't make, they didn't bother to ask anymore questions. They knew that Kakashi wasn't going to directly answer their questions so there was really no point.

"That's good. I'm sure you three are tired. You three traveled quite a ways and then fought those ninja on top of that," the king stated with a small smile. With a small wave of his hand, the king silently ordered a young woman to come to him and bowed politely. "Hoshiko. I would like you to take our three guests to their rooms. They had a pretty big day today with all that happened and would probably like some rest before this evening's meal."

"Who said we're humph-oof!" Sakura had quickly covered Naruto's mouth before he could say another stupid comment and get placed higher on King Mushiko's "most hated" list.

"Very well, sir," the servant named Hoshiko replied with another small bow.

"I'll leave them to you then." Then the king walked away from the group and down the hall his wife and daughter just walked through.

Hoshiko looked to the Leaf Ninja and gave them all a nice, polite smile. "If you would please follow me, I will show you your rooms for tonight."

Kakashi and Sakura thanked her while Naruto pouted and the three followed the woman into the hallway the king just entered. Sakura looked around at all the décor and artwork that was in the castle in amazement claiming she had never seen anything so beautiful. Kakashi got bored and pulled out the book he received from Naruto after the blonde returned back from his training with Jiraiya.

Naruto, on the other hand, trailed behind the other three with his hands shoved into his pockets. He was a bit frustrated that neither he nor Sakura were told about this escort mission. He was even more frustrated that Tsunade didn't give them a more challenging mission. He believed he was ready for stronger missions despite him still being a genin. If every ninja in the rebellion were as strong as the ninja he had faced today, this mission was going to be a piece of cake.

"Are you sure you're all right, dear? You were almost hurt today," the queen's voice was heard echo through the hallways catching Naruto's attention.

This brought the blonde teenager out of his thoughts and realize he had no idea where Kakashi, Sakura, or Hoshiko went because they were no longer walking ahead of him. They were no where in sight. His eyes widened as he ran ahead hoping to catch up to them. Too bad that when he reached the end of the hallway, there were two staircases that led to two different hallways.

"Man, this-"

"Mother, I told you I am fine," another voice echoed through the halls, but this time it was unrecognizable. Naruto would have mistaken it for Sakura if the voice didn't sound as light and gentle as it did. He automatically knew then that the voice belonged to Princess Sayuri. "The blonde boy didn't let anyone harm me."

By this time, Naruto was able to locate where the conversation was taking place. He stopped right before passing the door so he never looked inside. He didn't want to get caught eavesdropping on the conversation.

"That's good," the king's voice then said with a sigh. It sounded like he was surprised that Naruto was able to do such a task. "I was afraid the Hokage sent the wrong ninja for the job."

If Naruto was still his immature 12-year-old self, he would have gone off on the king right then and there, but he wasn't. He was older, more mature, and definitely had more self control though he really did want to give the king a piece of his mind. Even though he wanted to, Naruto kept his cool and continued to listen in.

"I was beginning to think that Naruto kid was an idiot."

He may be more mature, but his short temper never changed. Naruto jumped into doorway with his fist held up. He didn't care that the king said it; he was still going to hurt him.

"Who-ahomph-" A hand covered his mouth and pulled him to the side where he could no longer see the three royals in what looked like a bedroom. He struggled to get out of Sakura's grip as the two ninja could hear the king question what the noise was.

"I swear I'm going to kill you, Naruto," Sakura muttered under her breath loud enough for the blonde to hear, but soft enough that no one else could hear. "We haven't been here an hour and you're already causing trouble."

Sakura had let go then, and Naruto began to speak. "But it's not my-"

She quickly placed a hand over his mouth once again and quietly spoke. "Naruto, be quiet. King Mushiko is already angry at you. Don't make him any angrier by making him find out you've been eavesdropping." She dropped her hand and began walking down the hallway. "Now come on. Our rooms are this way."

.: - :.

Naruto didn't seem to mind that his room looked better than a five star hotel. With all the over decorated walls and furniture. All he cared about was how comfortable the bed was. That and how delicious the food at the castle was. Naruto felt like he was in heaven, until reality struck him that they were leaving early the next morning to journey back to Konoha. It was going to take about two and a half days to get there. He could already see this mission lasting forever in his eyes because of how bored he was going to be, especially with Miss I-don't-talk-to-anyone meaning Princess Sayuri.

Now he was going to be especially tired, because it was getting late and he really had to go to the bathroom. Quietly, he got out of his bed and tiptoed across the bedroom. Slowly, Naruto opened the door which let out a small squeaky noise and then he stuck his head out into the hallway. All he could see was darkness which meant that everyone had gone to bed and were most likely sleeping at that time. Then after taking a deep breath, Naruto stepped into the hallway and began to wonder the halls in search of a bathroom.

His mini-adventure came to a stop after a while when he discovered he had no idea where he was going, and he had no idea how to get back to his room. As he continued to walk, he could sense someone following him. He could hear the tiny steps that someone was taking behind him. Quickly, Naruto turned around with his fists in the air, ready to strike at he person following him. Too bad he didn't see anything but an empty hallway staring back at him. He stared at the hallway curiously as he began to rub the back of his head with his hand.

"I could have sworn-"

"Mew." Naruto looked down and saw a small, but extremely fluffy, cat sitting on the floor at his feet.

"Oh, it's just a cat." He knelt down and held out his hand to the cat. "Are you lost, too?"

Then something happened that definitely surprised Naruto. The cat opened its mouth and bit the blonde. It wasn't the fact that the cat bit Naruto; it was the fact that the cat wouldn't let go.

"Ah! Let go!" Naruto yelled at the cat as he tried to get out of the feline's mouth. He waved his hand back and forth but the cat never did let go. "This is why I hate cats!"

Suddenly, the cat let go and began walking away. With his eye twitching, Naruto watched the cat strut its way down the hallway. He would have yelled at the cat if he hadn't noticed who the cat was walking towards. The cat continued to strut until it reached a young girl who was kneeling down to pick it up. Once it was in her arms, the girl stood back up and looked at Naruto.

His eyes were wide after he recognized who it was. Layered blonde hair, dark violet eyes, and a scarf that covered her face; this girl was Princess Sayuri. Naruto blushed in embarrassment. She had to have seen the "misunderstanding" between him and the cat. He gave her a sheepish grin and chuckled softly. Then he heard something he didn't he would hear. He heard her softly giggling.

Naruto's grin disappeared and looked at her in confusion. Her eyes were closed and used one hand to cover where her mouth would have shown over her scarf. She was laughing which meant she had seen what had happened. Naruto was even more embarrassed now that he knew she had seen and his cheeks began to glow a light pink. Good thing it was dark enough no one could see it.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh."

Now Naruto's face showed even more shock than before. She was speaking to him in full sentences. According to Hoshiko who had shown them their rooms, Princess Sayuri never speaks to anyone directly unless she was spoken to first and that only happened when someone of a higher ranking spoke to her. Other than that, she never spoke a word to anyone, not even servants when she needed something. Naruto didn't mind that she was speaking to him; he was just surprised. At least his assumptions weren't wrong about her voice. That gentle one he had heard before was indeed the princess.

"I must apologize for her behavior," the princess continued, getting Naruto out of his daze. Naruto was confused at first but then realized when the princess said "her," she meant the cat. "She usually has an attitude towards new people."

"It's okay, Princess," Naruto said with a small smile. Slowly, he began to approach her and then looked down at the cat. "I'm sure if that cat gets to know me, she'll like me." He stuck out his hand to the cat to pet. "Hello, Kitty. My name is Naruto," he introduced himself to the cat which made the princess giggle some more. He guessed the cat didn't like his greeting very much since the cat lifted her paw and scratched his hand. "Hey!"

"I'm so sorry!" Princess Sayuri said with horror. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the three scratches that were now on Naruto's hand. She positioned the cat to look at her and said, "That's not nice, Mew," she scolded, which still came out as gentle, and then placed the cat on the ground.

"'Mew?' You named you're cat after the sound it makes?"

"I was three when we got her. I couldn't think of anything else," she replied as the two watched Mew strut down the hallway like she ruled the world. The princess looked back at Naruto and said, "Here, let's get that cleaned up. It might get infected."

"No, that's okay. I have some stuff back in my room anyway."

"Okay, that's good," she said with a sigh. Even though she might have relaxed in her voice, her eyes still said that she felt bad for what her cat had done. Naruto wanted to say that it wasn't her fault and that it was his since it was him who tried to be nice to the cat after he was warned. "Oh, I almost forgot."

Naruto looked at her with confusion once again, wondering what she was thinking about.

"I want to thank you for protecting me earlier today," she said. Her eyes were now closed and her hands cupped together in front of her body. "If it wasn't for you, I would probably be dead right now. Thank you."

"Oh, it was nothing. Just doing my job," he told her with his cheeky grin, giving her a similar reply to what he had told her father. Now he was beginning to get a bit cocky because a princess had thanked him for saving her.

"I know, but thank you," she repeated. He couldn't see her whole face, but he could see a smile in her eyes. "I should get going. My father said we would be leaving early tomorrow morning. Good night, Naruto."

"Good night, Princess."

Then she began to walk away and Naruto never left his spot until she was out of sight. He smiled as she turned into a different hallway, happy he was able to speak with her. He thought she was going to be a snotty brat with a huge attitude because of her attitude towards her own people, but he was wrong. She seemed to be the exact opposite. Now he was excited for the mission to start because he could talk to her some more.

"Tomorrow? Ah! I don't know where my room is!"

* * *

**There's chapter 3! Please, please review! I like hearing what you guys have to say about the story. Ask questions about it, critique it, say what you think about it! Even if you despise this story, write it up! I don't care! I just want a little feedback on this story. I haven't gotten much from this except that you all loved the intro which I am very happy about. :D I'll try to get the next chapter written up as soon as I can. **


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